Sweet treats with a taste of summer

Gathered from the June garden, rose petals can be used in a variety of sweet treats to add a subtle perfumed flavour

ROSE LENDS A sweetness with a hint of fragrance to desserts, condiments and refreshing drinks, and the flowers themselves add dainty, decorative touches. All rose petals are edible, with darker varieties having a more pronounced flavour, ranging from strawberry or apple-like to minty and spicy.

Popular in Middle Eastern cuisine and some Indian dishes, such as sweetened rice pudding, perhaps the most familiar example of rose-flavoured food is Turkish delight. Rose partners well with honey, dried apricots and cardamom, and sponges or semolina puddings take on the flavour beautifully.

The dried petals can be used in a savoury context too, as in the North African spice mix ras el hanout, which makes an excellent dry rub for meat. Infusion is another way of utilising rose petals, whether in a tea, a syrup, to add to cocktails or in a set custard.

Fresh petals should be used within two hours of removing them from the flower, but can be kept in the fridge for up to a week to prevent wilting. Dried petals should be stored out of the sun in a sealed jar.

“And the rose herself has got Perfume which on earth is not”

John Keats, ÔOde, Bards of Passion and of Mirth’